Flexible linkage for positive displacement pumps

Inventors

BREINGAN, KYLE • CASTIGLIONI, Orlando Cossia

Assignees

Insulet Corp

Abstract

A novel embodiment of a pump mechanism, for example, of the type that would be used in a wearable drug delivery system, comprises, in a preferred embodiment, a reservoir, a plunger, disposed within the reservoir and driven by a coiled flexible linkage connected to a drive mechanism, such that a force imparted by the drive mechanism causes the coiled flexible linkage to uncoil, causing a linear translation of the plunger through the reservoir to force a liquid drug contained within the reservoir through a fluid port to a patient.

Core Innovation

The invention describes a positive-displacement pump mechanism for a wearable drug delivery device. A plunger moves longitudinally in a reservoir through a flexible linkage driven by a pair of rollers, and a clutch enables disengagement of the drive mechanism and reverse rotation of the rollers. The linkage may be stored on a reel, and roller rotation translates it to advance the plunger.

The described design reduces the pump footprint, potentially allowing a larger reservoir. Other described features include a curved cross-section of the flexible linkage to increase stiffness and resist buckling, and holes in the linkage that can indicate plunger position or delivered volume. The drive mechanism may use a ratchet wheel, planetary gear, and gear train, with the ratchet wheel rotated by a shape-memory-alloy wire or a motor.

Claims Coverage

The provided claim list identifies three independent claims, each covering a pump mechanism or a specified way of driving its ratchet wheel.

The claim coverage centers on the pump arrangement with a flexible linkage and reversible rollers, and specifies two alternatives for rotating the ratchet wheel: a shape-memory-alloy wire or a motor.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications